Operating mechanism for centrifugal wringers.



H."G. BRAUNLICH.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CENTRIFUGAL WRINGERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28. |914..

1,224,266. Patented May 1, 1917.-

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- H. G. BRAUNLICH.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CENTRIFUGAL WRINGERS. APPLlCATlON FILED SERT. 28. 1914.

[1,224,266. Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

HUGO Gr. BRAUNLIGI-I, 0F DAVENPORT, IOWA.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CEN'IEIFUGAL WRINGERS.

Application filed September 28, 191.4.

wringers and the like and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention includes a centrifugal wringer device, preferably of that type known as extractors, used in connection with a washing machine of familiartype comprising a tub or receptacle for containing the clothes and water. Such washing inachines are usually pro-vided with a dolly or other operating tool, mounted on the lower end of a shaft depending through the lid into the tub and adapted to be given an oscillatory, rotary movement, so that the clothes are agitated by a stirring motion, first in one direction and then in a reverse direction. A wringer device of the above mentioned type, wherein the water is expelled from the clothing within said wringinn device by centrifugal force, is attached to and supported on the top of the washing ma chine tub. i driving mechanism is provided for operating the clothes en aging de- CD L vice or dolly and the wringing devic e. independently or sinmltaneously as may be desired. hfleans are provided between the wringing device and its associated operating mechanism whereby the load of the said wringing device at the start of its operation, from the position of rest, is gradually imposed upon said operating mechanism, thus preventing shocks and ars to the wringing device as well as preventing the stalling and burning out of the motor used to drive the operating mechanism. Means are also provided for retarding the movement of the wringing device after the same has been Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Serial No. 863,848.

disconnected from the associated driving mechanism.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a motor driven washing machine of the dolly type with my improved wringing device and driving mechanism therefor attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is view in elevation of a part of the mechanism as viewed in the direction of the arrows indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. i is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale taken in a plane indicated by the line H of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale, the plane of said section being indicated by the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring more in detail to that embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, 10 indicates a tub of familiar construction having the usual upright legs 1111. Said legs are rigidly braced apart near their lower ends by diagonally arranged bars 12, 12, which, also, as will presently appear, act to support a motor for driving the wringer device as well as the dolly mechanism. The tub has a hinged lid 13 which is connected by means of hinges 13, 13 to a horizontal board 14 forming a part of the top closure of the tub, which top provides a support for my improved wringing device.

15 indicates the vertical. dolly shaft, which shaft depends through a central aperture formed in the hinged lid 13 and is there provided at its lower end with the usual dolly head (not shown.) Said shaft is rotatively suspended from a bearing formed in a casing bracket 16 fixed to the said hinged lid 13. Above the tub lid and having bearing 1 in said casing bracket 16, is located a horizontally extending auxiliary driving shaft 17 having at one end a rigidly fixed gear 18. The opposite end of said shaft projects into the casing of the bracket 16 wherein a suitable device is provided for transposing the continuous rotary movement of said shaft into a rotary oscillatory movement of said dolly shaft.

19 indicates a short horizontal drive shaft located in the same vertical plane as the shaft 17 but below the same, and said shaft 19 has bearing in a suitable bracket 20 fixed to the stationary top 14 of the tub. A pinion 21 (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1) fixed to one end of said shaft meshes with the gear 18 on the outer end of the auxiliary driving shaft 17. To the opposite end of said shaft 20 is fixed a large fly wheel 22, having a groove in its periphery so that the same may act as a pulley. As shown, said pulley is driven from an electric motor 23 by means of a belt 23, said motor 23 being mounted on a board 24 rigidly fixed to the diagonal cross bars 12. It is apparent'that the motor 23 drives the. fly wheel 22 and its shaft 19 continuously in one direction, said last mentioned shaft imparting its continuous rotary movement tothe shaft 17 through the gears 21 and 18 and the continuous rotary movement of the latter shaft is converted into a rotary, oscillatory movement of the dolly shaft as before mentioned, by any suitable form of translating device within the casing of the bracket 16.

25 indicates a wringer board which extends laterally from the fixed top of the tub in the plane of said top. Said board is suitably braced and supported at its outer edge by means of inclined brace bars 26, 26, which bars are respectively fixed at their inner ends to the tub body 10.

Attached to and arising from the upper surface of said wringer board and arranged on each side of the median line of the tub body 10 are located edgewise arranged boards 27, 27, to which is attached, in a manner presently to be described. a centrifugal wringing device indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 30.

Said wringing mechanism comprises an open top, cylindric shaped can or container 31, resting upon the upper edges of the boards 27 and rigidly-attached thereto by means of clips 28, 28. Said container 31 comprises an upright cylindric wall 32 having a down turned flange 32 at its upper edge and a convexed bottom wall 33. Axially arranged with respect to the cylindrical side wall 32 of the container and extending through the bottom wall 33 thereof, in which is provided a stufling box 33 -to prevent leakage, is located a vertically arranged shaft Said shaft is journaled intermediate its ends in a bearing 35 formed in a bearing bracket 35 fixed to the upper surface of the wringer board 25 intermediate the boards 27, 27.

- The lower end of said shaft has end thrust bearing upon a steel ball 36 located within a socket 37 extending through a suitable aperture in the wringer board, said socket being preferably made integral with the bearing bracket 35.

The upper end of said shaft 34 within the container 31 has a flange 34 which engages with antifriction balls 39 located in a raceway formed in the upper surface of the bottom wall 33 of the container near its center. The upper end of said shaft is provided with a squared recess 40, the purpose of which will presently appear.

45 indicates a clothing receiving basket, which is adapted to be rotated while containing the wet clothing so as to expel the water therefrom by centrifugal force. Said basket is concentrically located within the container and comprises an apertured convexed bottom wall 46 and an open top cylindrical upright side wall of wire mesh 46 said bottom and upright side walls of the basket being spaced from the corresponding walls of the container.

The upper edge of the upright wall of the basket is confined and fixed within a channel formed in a ring 47. The bottom wall 46 is provided with an axially arranged squared stud 48 which engages within the squared recess 40 in the upper end of the shaft 34. 49 indicates an upright shaft in axial alinement with the shaft 34. Said shaft 49 is rigidly attached at its lower end to the bottom Will 46 of the basket 45, and

at its upper end is made rigid with a hub 50 of a spider having diametrically oppositely extending arms 5151, the outer ends of which are fixedto the ring 47. Preferably, the ring 47, hub 50 and arms 51 are made in one integral casting. The upper end of the shaft 49 is journaled in a bearing 52 formed in a bar 53 removably attached to the container side wall 32. Said bar is adapted to extend diametrically across the top of said container and one end thereof extends downwardly, as at 54. This downwardly extending portion is provided with an aperture 55 which coacts with a pin 56 fixed to the container 31 near its upper end, said pin being arranged to extend through said aperture. The opposite end of said bar is provided with a slot 57 into which the body of a bolt 58 pivotally attached to the container 31, is adapted to be swung. Said bolt is provided with a coacting thumb nut 59 so arranged as to hold said bar 53 in proper position. Accidental displacement of the bolt 58 and its thumb nut 59 is prevented by upturned shoulders 60, 60, formed at the extreme outer end of said bar, which engage the nut 59 when said nut is in position shown in Fig. 4.

Means for imparting a continuous rotary movement to the shaft 34 are provided and such means are as follows: Fixed to the shaft 34 intermediate its ends is a bevel gear 65, the hub of which engages against the bearing 35 of the bracket 35 in a manner preventing endwise movement of the shaft in an upward direction.

78 indicates a horizontally arranged shaft which extends parallel with but which is spaced from the shaft 19 on the tub lid 13. Said shaft extends through one of the edgewise arranged boards 27 and is j ournaled in suitable bearing brackets 79 and 80. That end of said shaft adjacent the bearing bracket 79 is provided with a bevel gear 78 which meshes with the gear 65 on the upright shaft 3a and at the same time, prevents endwise movement of said shaft 78 through its bearings. The opposite end of said shaft is provided with a disk 81 having a friction surface of leather or other suitable friction material 82, said disk 81 being arranged to rotate with, but capable of limited endwise movement on said shaft 7 8.

Arranged in axial alinement with respect to the shaft 78and adapted to drive the same through a suitable clutch mechanism, is located a second shaft 66. Said shaft 66 has suitable bearing in an upright bracket arm 67 attached to the wringer board 25 near one edge thereof. To one end of said shaft is fixed a pulley wheel 68 driven continuously in one direction by means of a belt 69 operatively connected to a second pulley wheel 70 fixed to the short horizontal shaft 19, intermediate the gear 21 and the fly wheel 22 thereon. I may prefer, however, to drive said shaft 66 directly from the armature shaft of the motor 23 with any suitable reduction gearing, hence I do not wish to be limited to the drive mechanism for the shaft 66 before mentioned.

The end of the shaft 66, opposite to that to which the pulley 68 is fixed, is provided with a disk 7 5 which I prefer to face with a friction surface of leather "('6 or other suitable material.

During the operation of my improved operating mechanism, the disk 81 is adapted to be moved toward said disk 7 5 to be driven thereby or to be moved away therefrom to break the driving connection therebetween, said disks constituting a friction drive device and may be properly referred to as an overload slip clutch. This construction will permit a certain amount of slippage between the shafts 78 and 66 when the associated driving disks first engage each other, and the basket 45 will act as a fly wheel, increasing in momentum as the driving connection between said shafts 78 and 66 becomes more positive, increasing as the speed of the basket increases, until said shaft 78 rotates with a speed equal to that of the shaft 66 when both shafts will then rotate together at the same speed. The overload slip clutch arrangement prevents burning out, stalling or injury to the motor under the stress of the load imparted to it during the initial starting movement of the basket when loaded with wet clothing.

The disk 81 is provided with a hub 88 in which is formed a peripheral groove 8 L. Engaged within the said groove 84 are the forked ends of a lever 85, said lever being pivoted intermediate its ends in the bracket 80. The lower end of said lever projects through a slot 86 formed in the wringer board 25 and is operatively connected by means of a longitudinally extending link 87, to the lower end of a controlling lever 88 pivotally mounted on a coacting sector rack 89 fixed to that end of the wringer board opposite the end on which is mounted the overload slip clutch. llt is apparent that a swinging movement of the lever 88 will cause endwise movement of the disk 81 on the shaft 78 whereby 'said shaft may be thrown into and out of operative connection with the shaft 66 at the will of the operator.

To retard and stop the movement of the basket 45 after the driving connection between the shafts 7 8 and 66 has been broken, I provide on the bearing block an annular enlargement 8O having a friction washer or ring 80 fixed thereto. Said parts are so arranged with respect to the disk member 81 that when said disk is removed from its engagement with the disk 7 5 on the shaft 66, by means of the shifting lever 88, that face of its hub adjacent the bearing 80 will engage the friction washer or ring 80 thereby causing said shaft 7 8 to slow down notwithstanding the momentum acquired by it from the shaft 66.

The operation of the device is as follows. With the motor in operation, a continuous rotary movement in one direction is imparted to the shaft 19 and the rotary movement of said shaft is translated into an oscillating rotary movement of the dolly shaft, as before described. The hinged lid and with it the dolly shaft 15 and associated members may be swung about the hinges 13 so that access may be had to the interior of the tub, without disturbing the movement of said shaft 19, since when the lid is raised the gear 18 will unmesh from the gear 21 and will readily mesh or reengage therewith when the lid is lowered again. .The continuous rotary movement of the shaft 19 is communicated to the short shaft 66 by means of the belt 69.

. Assuming the driving connection between the shaft 66 and its alined shaft 7 8, broken and the tub lid 13 in open position, the operator removes the washed clothing from the wash water in the tub and places the garments within the basket a5 now at rest within the container 31. Other unwashed clothing may then be placed within the tub and the hinged lid again closed. The lowering of the lid causes the gears 18 and 21 to mesh, as before stated, and the washing operation on this second set of garments at once proceeds.

With the parts in this position the controlrest and the thumb nut 59 ling lever 88 is shifted to bring the disk 81 into frictional engagement with the disk 75. This will cause the shaft 7 8 to rotate, slowly at first, and a rotation to be imparted to the basket 45. The movement of the basket, when once under way, and the basket will act as a. flywheel. Slippage will occur in the connection between the two shafts 78 and 66 until the rotative speed of the basket will be such that said shafts rotate together at equal speed. The rotation of the basket will tend to move or throw the clothing against the wire mesh wall of the basket 15 under centrifugal force and the water in the clothing will then be expressed therefrom owing to the pressure of the wet clothing against the mesh wall of the basket. Such water as is freed from the clothing in this manner will be deposited in the bottom of the container 31.

To draw off the water from the container 31, a drain pipe 90 is provided having a shut off valve 91 therein. This pipe may lead to the atmosphere or be connected, as shown, with the interior of the tub 10. The valve 91 therein is preferably left open when wringing clothing which has just been removed from the tub, but if the clothing operated upon by wringing device is taken froma rinsing water containing a bluing it is preferable to drain said bluing water into another receptacle provided therefor. For this purpose I provide a second drain pipe 93 having a shut off cook 94:. The re spectiy e pipes 90 and 93 are preferably placed diametrically opposite each other and have connections with the interior of the container near its outer peripheral edges for cleaner drainage of the container.

After the clothing has been operated upon by the wringing device, a sufficient length of time, the lever 88 is swung vertically outwardly from the container 31 about its fulcrum. This will cause the disk 81 to move away fro-m its engaging position with respect to the disk and the opposite end of its hub 83 will frictionally engage against the friction ring 8O fixed to the bearing bracket when rotation of said shaft 78 will cease. The basket 45 will then be at is loosened upon the bolt 58, so that said bolt may be swung about its pivot out of engagement with the bar 53. Said bar may be then removed and the basket containing the clothing removed from the interior of the container, or the clothing may be removed therefrom without removing the basket. The basket 45 is then replaced in the container with its squared stud 4E8 engaging within the squared recess 40 in the upper end of the shaft, the bar 53 again replaced and the wringing device is then ready to operate upon another batch of wet clothing as before described.

While in describing my invention I have will increase in speed,

referred to certain details of construction and arrangement, I-do not wish to limit myself thereby except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

It will be obvious that any suitable washing machine having an operating shaft, such as the shaft 19 actuated directly or indirectly from a motor, may be used instead of the dolly or agitator form of washing machine illustrated. These and other changes will readily address themselves to mechanics skilled in the art and do not require to be herein more specifically pointed out.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a support, a horizontal drive shaft, an upright operating shaft having a load member, adapted for continuous rotation in one direction, a counter shaft, means connecting said drive and said counter shafts to drive said counter shaft at' an increased speed, an intermediate shaft in line with said counter shaft and operatively engaged to drive said upright shaft, a friction disk fixed to that end of said counter shaft adjacent the intermediate shaft, a second friction disk fixed to the end of said intermediate shaft and adapted for engagement with the first named friction disk, said second disk being 'rotative with.

said intermediate shaft but capable of endwise movement thereon and means for moving said second mentioned disk into and out of engagement with the like disk on said counter shaft.

2. In combination with a support, a horizontal drive shaft, an upright operating shaft having a load member, a counter shaft driven by said drive shaft but at a higher speed, an intermediate shaft in line with said counter shaft and adapted to drive said upright shaft, bearing members for said shafts fixed to said supports, one of said bearing members having a frictional braking surface, a friction disk fixed to that end of the counter shaft adjacent the intermediate shaft, a second friction disk rotatively fixed to said intermediate shaft but capable of endwise movement thereon, between the friction disk on said counter shaft and the braking surface on said bearing and means for oper-,

atively engaging said friction disk on said intermediate shaft with the like disk on the counter shaft and with the braking surface on said bearing.

3. In combination with a support, a horizontal drive shaft, an upright operating shaft adapted for continuous rotation in one direction, a second operating shaft having a load carrying member attached thereto,

said second operating shaft being adapted for removable attachment to the said first mentioned operating shaft, a counter shaft driven by said drive shaft, an intermediate shaft in line with said counter shaft and operatively engaged to drive said first mentioned operating shaft, all of said shafts being carried by said support, and an overload slip clutch for operatively connecting said counter shaft With said intermediate shaft, acting'to accelerate the speed of said intermediate shaft until said shaft attains the speed of said counter shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing HUGO Gr. BRAUNLIOH.

Witnesses:

A. G. SAMPSON, M. J. PETERSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

this 25th day Of 10 

